Topic: Mario kart 7 Discussion

@6ch6ris6 I believe you have to fall of the track no more than 2 times in total and collect at least 30 coins. I'm not absolutely sure though, so don't quote me on that. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.
@Tanookii13 No, the friend code is linked to your system, not the game like it was on DS.

Oh, I thought it was three but I wasn't sure. Losing half definitely serves its purpose. And it makes going for the person in the lead all the more important.

Also, I know it's a minor gripe, but I wish the point system was more like MKWii's, where it actually showed you how many points you were earning/losing instead of it just changing.

And did any of you watch this week's Nintendo Week? They showed that if you go off the side of the bridge in Cheep Cheep Lagoon there is a raised part on the side that you can drive on, apart from the other driver's. I didn't know that was there. I always wanted to go off the side of the bridge, but I never had the balls to do it during a race. Cheep Cheep Lagoon is also another track that I like a lot more than I thought I would. Being in first place is great fun since you can drop banana peels on the narrow part to the glider section.

I agree that Double dash had the best battle mode and there could have been some more courses in the one in MK7 but its still pretty good and better than MKW's. Overall, MKW is still my favorite game in the series but its hard to decide whether Double dash or 7 is my second favourite.

Really enjoying the game. Don't think it's the best ever, but the track design is very good. What let's it down for me is the items. I find the Lightening more annoying than the Blue Shell in this version, and I think it's too frequent. Don't care for Raccoon tail or Fire Flower as you can't pick up another item, ruining a lot of strategy.

I also dislike how you can only collect 10 coins. Better players should be able to guard against the inevitable obstacles by ensuring a top speed with lots of coins (maximum was 20 in SC and SNES). I've been told the limit is 1o because Nintendo didn't want people unlocking the Kart parts too quickly. I hate the customization though, Miyamoto was right with his first instincts. I didn't like the choice of Karts in DS. What's the point of having different characters with different strengths and attributes if you're going to change it completely with their vehicle? None really.

Since getting the balance of play right in 64, all they've needed to do is make more and better tracks, and maybe add a few more characters. Gliding and underwater are cool additions, but I don't think I'd miss them especially. In fairness I don't think any of the new tracks are bad, but I'd like to see more tracks included than customization. Mario Kart 7, 7 new Cups, 7 retro?

Well some people like to have good acceleration with heavy characters

Some of the harsher critics are complaining that Mario kart 7 is too similar to previous entries. Imagine how much they would be complaining if there was as little difference between MK games as you seem to want. I think its good that they try to mix things up with two racers per kart in double dash, bikes in MKW and gliding and underwater racing in MK7.

Kind of ruins the balance of characters (trade off between acceleration and top speed) but Nintendo can design some heavy characters with good acceleration. Or Karts that allow your vehicle to be heavy and fast. You don't really need characters at all. Fixed. With different Kart parts, you don't need the characters to have any particular traits.

Let's play people

Sorry, I'm not following this. Characters don't have individual traits; they follow a weight-based system, which makes sense considering Bowser is a lot heavier than Toad, which makes accelerating more difficult. However there needs to be balance so it's made up with weight and speed. You may not realize it but most of the traits' differences mostly come from the characters, then the wheels, then the body of the kart.

I haven't played it enough yet, but I've at least gone through all the cups and thrown in some online modes, so I feel like stating the beginnings of a verdict.

...aaaaand I'm torn. The new tracks designs are great, and the new twists offered by gliding are pretty neat. But this one just doesn't grab me the way previous entries did. I think my problem may be what others ultimately praise: it's not quite zany, frantic, or chaotic enough for me. Mario Kart should be a game in which things are constantly happening, where it's all you can do to hold on and make it around the next obstacle or turn without getting screwed over somehow.

Perhaps the downsizing from MkWii (only 8 players) is part of the problem. Double Dash is still my favorite, and there you had much more item-mania going on with all the special items, double item boxes, holding one in your secondary character, etc. This game just strikes me as the tamest and least exhilarating Mario Kart in a long time. But I'm not entirely disappointed, as it's still a polished entry with some beautiful locations and new ideas. I just can't see ever enjoying it quite as much as previous entries, but hopefully that will change once I have a chance to play it more.

tl;dr - not crazy enough for me so far, but then again, the level designs are superb, so I'll come around.

Weight is a distinguishing characteristic, therefore a trait.

Place first in the 150cc cups to unlock new characters. You unlock one character for each cup.

I think the next mario kart will have gliding and underwater sections otherwise how will 3DS tracks work in the retro grand prix?

I, too, wish there wasn't a coin cap. I hate getting struck by lightning then hit by a shell and losing all my top speed despite running over hundreds of coins. The simple solution would have been to make kart parts require more coins to unlock. Ta da.

I like the kart parts in theory but I find it too difficult to compare multiple parts in the same category unless they're right next to each other because you have to remember each stat as you scroll through. For this reason, I almost entirely ignore the kart parts, especially the gliders, which all have the same stats except standard. I still don't get that.

The new items do kind of suck (though not in battle mode), but again it's a small complaint. Fire flower adds to the chaos of the game and you can burn through it fast, so I don't mind it. The tail annoys me though because, not only does it slow you down when you use it, but often it stays with you just long enough so that you can't pick up the next item, which is really lame. It is more of a punishment to get the damn thing than a reward, which could not be Nintendo's intention.

However, I still think it's one of the best because it has great new tracks and they've reinvigorated the old tracks like no previous game has. Even Rainbow Road (SNES), which has no air or water gimmicks, feels brand new. I like that they brought back the ramps from Super Circuit, but it's really the way the thwomps affect the track that makes it really cool, and the fact that you seem to drive faster on it, somehow, though maybe I'm imagining that part.

The water and air segments are also quite good. Falling in water is usually a punishment because you'll drive slower, but it's not frustrating like in the old games where you just lose time as you're being fished out and that's it. Here the racing doesn't stop. The air segments can be really cool for shortcuts when you have mushrooms... my only complaint is they did a horrible job with handling boundaries. Invisible walls without any indications they're there, seriously? I think they could have done better than that.

Realistically, I probably like it mostly because it has a good online with good tracks, which I felt both previous MKs got wrong in one way or the other.

Again, gliders don't directly affect stats much at all. All they do is affect how long you stay afloat in the air. That's why Peach's Parasol makes your kart much more floaty and steering more sensitive when you're in the air. Same thing goes for the Parachute, which combines both aspects of the hangglider and Parasol/Flower.

Would be nice if it said that on the screen so you know what you're getting. I now have a vague idea of how three of the gliders relate to each other but no idea at all what some others are supposed to do. There's no quick way to test it out, and you can't really compare any two gliders except by memory.

Yeah, true. But I test things out in time trials. I see that Hangliders and Parachutes have a very very subtle affect on acceleration and speed, but that's about it (this is when I switch it around).

I pick my glider based on a simple criterion: whichever one makes me look cool. It's like a tie, serving little purpose but capping off the ensemble with a bit of personality.

I hope Nintendo puts in some DLC for this game. I was kinda expecting more charachters and items. Wheres the bad item block? We have Waluigis pinball, but no Waluigi?

@Nintendo6400

The loss of fake item boxes also pains me deeply. Why discard such a great idea?

@Adam

I actually like the tail just fine. In fact, it's much better here than in SM3DL, where I complain about it ruining the speed and / or fun. Here it serves several purposes: protecting you from just about any attack, bashing obstacles or incidental road wildlife (and hoping for a mushroom inside), and just rushing into a pack of other racers then flipping it wildly about to annoy everyone.

But does it really slow you down? I'll have to observe more carefully. It feels just like hopping with the R-trigger, I thought, but perhaps you're right that whipping excessively will reduce your speed slightly.